Greenhouse Project breaks ground on new outdoor community classroom at Carson High School
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 06/02/2020 - 2:10pm
On Tuesday, the Carson City Greenhouse Project broke ground on a new outdoor classroom at the Carson High School site, which will allow the Greenhouse Project's dream of continuing agriculture education to students year round in the Carson City community.
The Greenhouse Project and Carson High School recently announced a grant provided by the William N. Pennington Foundation for $25,000 that will be used to build a community classroom at The Greenhouse Project’s main site location at Carson High School.
The Greenhouse Project was first dreamed up in 2009 by Karen Abowd and Janette Bloom after learning about the food shortages facing the underserved in Carson City. After brainstorming ways to help, they came up with the idea for the greenhouse and two years later the doors were opened.
According to Executive Director Jon Ruiter, the greenhouse has been used in conjunction with Carson High School’s agricultural science courses since it first opened in 2011, and has been quickly growing in popularity ever since.
“In 2011, there were probably less than 20 students in the ag sciences program,” said Ruiter. “Now there are over 200.”
Karen Abowd and Carson City School District Superintendent Richard Stokes spoke before the ground breaking ceremony, singing praises of the program and how helpful the new classroom will be to help further the ideal of agricultural education for the community.
"This is a tremendous asset for our students," said Stokes. "I'm so glad we have such a great working relationship with The Greenhouse Project."
The Greenhouse Project is a great example of what happens when education, community and volunteers come together for a great cause, said Stokes.
"You are what you eat," said Abowd. "It's important that kids understand how to grow organic to organic standards. Generations too many think food comes in a package. This also provides an opportunity to give back as well because in their education we are growing food for those in need, who are food insecure and need that nutrition as much as anyone else does."
After the ground breaking a shipment of fresh greens and vegetables grown to organic standards made its way to F.I.S.H. to help feed those in the Carson City community who are struggling with food security issues.
"We just keep growing, which is a great thing," said Abowd. "We have this campus now and the Foothill Garden campus at Carson Tahoe. Between the education classes offered for adults and the education that students are receiving, it is really a wonderful thing. To see the enthusiasm grow from the kids, that's amazing."
This year they also awarded their first scholarship, said Abowd. Each year The Greenhouse Project pays the school $5,000 for the use of the property, and it was agreed that if there is a truly exceptional student within the program they should be awarded a scholarship to help them with their continued education.
The Foothill Garden campus at Carson-Tahoe Hospital has also begun growing its own food in addition to hosting the Bee Hotel. The food grown on campus is then provided to Meals on Wheels to help with feeding the seniors in the community, said Abowd.
The classroom should be finished by the new school year.
To learn more about the new classroom, click here.
- Carson City
- Carson City School District
- 000
- adults
- agriculture
- Bloom
- carson
- Carson City Community
- Carson High
- Carson Tahoe
- Ceremony
- City
- classes
- community
- Community,
- conjunction
- continued education
- Executive Director
- F.I.S.H.
- feeding
- Food
- Food Security
- foundation
- garden
- give back
- Ground Breaking
- help
- kids
- Kids!
- learn
- learning
- need
- new
- New School
- News
- Nutrition
- Opportunity
- outdoor
- program
- scholarship
- school
- school district
- science
- seniors
- singing
- standards
- students
- Superintendent Richard Stokes
- tahoe
- the greenhouse project
- vegetables
- volunteers
- Wonderful !
- Carson High School
- Education
- Greenhouse Project
- GROW
- Karen Abowd
- Meals on Wheels
- high school
